Safer gambling

Find out how you can stay safe when gambling. Get help, advice and information on how to use tools that manage your gambling activity.

• What to look at before you gamble

  Before you start to gamble, make sure you are aware of all the terms and conditions, deposit rules and always check for a licence.

• Ways to stay safe when gambling

  We want to make sure that everyone is staying safe while gambling. These guides will give you advice and different ways to keep yourself safe.

• Gambling and young people

  Find out more about understanding the risks of young people gambling, parental controls and where to get help.

• Controlling gambling related content you see on X (formerly Twitter)

  By following our tips in this guide, you can control your X (formerly Twitter) experience by choosing what you can see and who you interact with.

• Controlling gambling related content you see on Facebook

  See how you can control the gambling related content you see on Facebook by controlling the ads you see.

• How to opt out of seeing gambling-related ads on YouTube

  Information on how you can opt out of seeing gambling-related adverts when using YouTube

• Block gambling payments with your bank

  Many banks now allow you to limit spending on gambling. If you feel you are spending too much money on gambling, you may want to consider blocking gambling payments.

• Control the time and money you spend on gambling

  Having control over the time and money you are spending on gambling is an important way of ensuring that you're staying safe.

• View playing history and restrict or block gambling activity

  Websites must give you access to your historic account activity to see when you've gambled, how much you've spent and what you've gambled on.

• Self-exclusion

  If you think that you are spending too much time or money on gambling, whether online or in gambling premises, then you can ask to be self-excluded.

• Checks you can do to stay safe

  Gambling businesses must have fair, open and transparent complaints policies and procedures. You should do the following checks in order to keep yourself safe.

Getting more information

You can find more information about safer gambling at the following websites.

National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms

GREO

Help and support

If you or someone you know is struggling with gambling-related problems, contact the <a href="https://www.gamcare.org.uk" class="govuk-link" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">National Gambling Helpline (opens in new tab)</a>. <p class="gcweb-heading-xl govuk-!-margin-bottom-1" role="heading" aria-level="3">0808 8020 133</p> <p class="gcweb-body-s govuk-!-margin-bottom-4">Free of charge, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.</p>

What we're doing to ensure the gambling industry promotes safer gambling

As a regulator, our job is to ensure that gambling businesses follow the rules when promoting gambling products and interacting with customers.

If businesses don’t follow the rules, or there are concerns about how a business is being run, we can investigate and take action where appropriate.

We also work with other regulators, charities and organisations to understand gambling habits and trends, promote safer gambling practices, and ensure that gambling is safe.

Find out more about our approach to regulation and support in the following pages.

• Action we can take

  Find out what action we can take against businesses that do not follow the rules.

• Organisations we work with

  We work with a number of organisations to understand and promote safer gambling.

• Research we do

  Find out about the research we carry out to understand gambling habits and trends.